BJP reaching out to Dalit leaders ahead of general elections

New Delhi: Buoyed by the recent surveys, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is trying its best to somehow reach the magic figure of 272 seats in the upcoming general elections. For this, the party is increasing its base amongst Dalits by approaching towards Ram Vilas Paswan led Lok Janshakti Party in Bihar and bringing into Dalit leader Udit Raj-led Indian Justice Party from Uttar Pradesh its fold.

There are forty Lok Sabha seats in Bihar. Earlier, Paswan had given indication of aligning with JD (U) by praising Nitish Kumar.

Talking about the development, LJP leader and son of party chief Chirag Paswan accepted that there is still some doubt within the party and a meeting of parliamentary board has been called to discuss the matter in detail.

On issues of seat sharing, the junior Paswan said that the party will start thinking over it only after formal announcement of alliance between the two parties.

When asked about BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, he Paswan said that the former has been given clean chit by court and hence the BJP and LJP can forge alliance.

Other party leader and former MP Surajbhan Singh said that alliance between LJP and BJP has been finalised and only formal announcement is awaited.

Paswan's party had been an alliance partner of NDA government but the LJP chief was the first to quit the BJP-led alliance in 2002 post-Godhra riots when Modi was the Chief Minister of Gujarat.

After LJP quitting NDA, six other parties had also quit the alliance in quick succession and NDA had virtually disintegrated paving the way for Congress-led UPA to come to power in 2004.

Paswan had joined the UPA alliance in 2004 and became a Cabinet Minister. His party had then got only four seats. RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav was Railway Minister in UPA-I. After a bitter rivalry for some time in UPA I, the two had inched closer by the end of 2008.

In 2009 Lok Sabha polls while RJD and LJP fought together but Congress walked out of the alliance. In 2004, when Congress, RJD and LJP had contested together in Bihar they had won 29 of the forty seats with RJD winning 22, LJP 4 and Congress 3.

In 2009, when they fought without Congress, LJP failed to open its account and Paswan himself lost from home turf Hajipur, RJD won only four seats and Congress two.

This time both Paswan and Prasad showed inclination to ally with Congress. Prasad met Congress president Sonia Gandhi as well as Rahul Gandhi. Paswan had also held consultation with the Congress chief on the issue.

Meanwhile confirming the development, Udit Raj said that the BJP is far better in comparison to other parties when dealing with issues related to Dalits are concerned.